Going To The Dreamy Forest (2)

All she could do now, was to watch him, as he left.

Although the prince, was just eleven years old, he was capable of making his own decisions now. Since he had already gone through a rite of passage, which guaranteed him, as no longer being a boy, but a man.

The ritual, which was done once every seven years, accepted children from age seven upwards to participate. However, all the princes were only two years old, when the last ceremony was done, so they ended up doing theirs when they were nine years old.

Nevertheless, there were even older men and children who participated and still failed. Some children who were already fifteen years were still considered as boys. Since they had failed to pass the initiation rites.

That year when the princes did theirs, only ten boys less than fourteen years old passed. And, they were all nine years old and above—the three princesses and two other boys were of the same